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Disney Plus and Hulu summer preview trailer offers fresh look at 8 upcoming shows — here's the 3 I'm adding to my watchlist

Disney Plus and Hulu summer preview trailer offers fresh look at 8 upcoming shows — here's the 3 I'm adding to my watchlist

Tom's Guide09-07-2025
If you're serious about streaming all the best stuff, it seems like you're going to want access to Disney Plus (and Hulu) throughout 2025.
That opinion is based on the exciting teaser that Disney just shared, which showcases what the House of Mouse has primed for release on its two streaming services throughout the back half of 2025.
The trailer showcases the streamers' range of content: new and returning comedies, another brief glimpse of Marvel's "Wonder Man" project, and a fresh look at the hotly anticipated new "Alien: Earth" series. Check it out below:
Of course, this new clip is only a sizzle reel of what's coming our way, so it's not like we've got a ton of fresh info about any one show in particular.
That said, getting excited about streaming is literally my job, and so here are the three things that I'm currently most looking forward to watching (plus a quick rundown of everything shown off).
And remember: everything shown off can be streamed via Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers.
Let's get the most obvious project out of the way: "Alien: Earth" looks awesome.
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That trailer that dropped at the start of June was gripping stuff. It boasts some engrossing visuals and feels like it has nailed the "Alien" aesthetic and the lingering dread that H.R. Giger's nightmarish biomechanical creations have been spreading for decades.
I look forward to cowering behind my sofa when the beasts are unleashed once more.
I watch football, I like comedy, and I think Glen Powell is one of the most watchable stars on our screens right now. As such, "Chad Powers" — the upcoming Hulu comedy show — feels practically tailor-made for me.
The half-hour comedy comes from Powell and Michael Waldron, and is based on the character of the same name from "Eli's Places."
It sees Powell stepping onto the pitch as QB Russ Holliday. When bad behavior nukes this hotshot's college football career, he disguises himself as Chad Powers, an affable, talented player who walks onto a struggling Southern football team.
I grew up with Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" books, and after those less-than-stellar movie adaptations, I didn't necessarily have high hopes for the 2023 series adaptation.
Season 1 of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" well and truly proved me wrong, however, and I have been patiently awaiting the fantasy series' return ever since.
The first batch of episodes was great fun, and I really can't wait to see the team's take on book 2; it's been on my radar since the start of the year.
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Chandler, the 29-year-old daughter of actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Bloodline), is a relative unknown, yet was determined to land the role. She flew out to Canada, where Fargo was being filmed, the morning after reading the script, and convinced Hawley to let her take him for dinner. Her determination (she calls it 'impulsivity') and passion for the role impressed him. It's a great piece of casting – Chandler imbues Wendy with an otherworldly gawkiness, a disarming innocence and an unnerving unknowability. The actress, understandably, wishes to avoid comparison between Wendy and Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley. 'You can't recreate Alien. You can't recreate Ripley. If the scripts had gone in that direction, I wouldn't have wanted to do it. My goal was to bring as much strength and honesty and integrity and backbone to the character [as I could], because that's what I looked up to when I saw Alien for the first time.' For all the ingenious concepts within Alien, what underpins the franchise is human greed and the extent to which corporations are happy to play God. Like all classic sci-fi, the humans in the TV series unleash forces they can no longer control. Does Hawley feel that, via AI, we are at such a point now? 'I don't think AI is going to take my job,' he says. 'But I'm at a rarified level of storytelling, with an idiosyncratic approach. [However] I think if you are a writer on Law & Order, you should be worried.' But Hawley has bigger concerns, and they can be seen in the blood, guts and synth fluid of Alien: Earth. 'Europe does a much better job of regulating technology and thinking about the human implications of it. In the US, it's still about the dollar. And I worry there are no brakes on this train, because the people who would be the brakes are not incentivised to slow it down. I worry it's going to get away from us very quickly. If it hasn't already.' Alien: Earth comes to Disney+ on August 13 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword

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